How to efile Federal and State Tax Returns

Before you begin, make sure you have all of your tax documents ready, particularly your W-2, 1099, or other income tax forms. You should receive all of your W-2 Forms from each of your employers by January 31.

Review the sections below for information on how to prepare and efile your federal and state tax returns:

Can I Use My Last Pay Stub Instead of a W-2 to Prepare and efile My Taxes?

Start your efile.com account, enter your personal information and begin preparing your return with your last pay stub. However, you should not complete and efile your tax return until you receive your W-2 form(s) to make sure that your latest pay stub indeed matches the W-2 form(s). To complete your return, you will also need your Employer Identification Number (EIN), and most pay stubs do not have this information.

What If I Don't Have My W-2?

Employers are required to mail out W-2's by January 31. If you have not received a W-2 Form by February 14, follow these steps:

1. Contact your employer (or former employer) and request a copy of your W-2. Make sure that the employer has your correct mailing address. Allow a reasonable amount of time for them to resend it or make it available to you.

2. If you still have not received a Form W-2 from your employer by February 23, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. Have the following information ready:

3. If you do not receive your W-2, you still must file a tax return or request an extension to file by the tax deadline. If you have completed steps 1 and 2 above, you may use Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2. On Form 4852, estimate your wages and taxes withheld as best as you can. You can prepare and efile Form 4852 on efile.com. Unfortunately, using Form 4852 may delay your refund while the information is checked by the IRS.

4. If you receive a W-2 or additional tax documents after you efile your tax return, and they do not match the information you entered online, you must amend your tax return.

Can I efile My Tax Return?

Almost everyone can efile, butthere are a very small number of special cases which prevent a tax return from being efiled. But even in these rare cases, you can still use efile.com to prepare your return. We provide you with a PDF copy of your return, which you can print, sign, and mail to the IRS.

According to the IRS rules, you will need to print and mail your return if:

Do I Have to Mail My W-2 Form to the IRS After I Efiled My Tax Return?

You don't have to mail your W-2 to the IRS when you efile, nor do you have to submit your W-2 with your efiled tax return. However, the information on your tax return must be accurate since the IRS will have a copy of your W-2.